Smart shopping April 29, 2006
Posted by irishmadness in Frugal living, More for less, Saving.trackback
After my healthy eating class the other day, I sat down to plan out my shopping for this paycheck. One of the things they stressed was planning meals so you eat healthy foods rather than be so stressed you grab take-out. So we talked about picking two meals that could stretch multiple days, plus one or two meals a week that are completely different for variety.
As a single person, almost any recipe means I’ve got six or eight meals if I stick with correct portion sizes. So I looked at the sales flyers and my new healthy recipes and decided on chicken cacciatore; pasta with turkey sausage, peppers, mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes; and enough vegetables to mix with grilled chicken strips in whole wheat wraps for lunches.
As you can tell, chicken was on sale. I got the three-pound bags of frozen boneless, skinless tenderloins for $5.99, each with 11 servings of chicken. The cacciatore recipe serves six, but since it doesn’t include pasta as part of it, I’m dividing it into 12 servings. The pasta also will make the sausage dish stretch for 12 servings. And I have enough wrap fixings to last me two weeks. By the time I’m done cooking Monday, I’ll have two balanced meals a day for the next two weeks (and a very full freezer).
I also picked up a flavored pork tenderloin on sale for $6.99, which had an instant savings $2 coupon on the outside, knocking my cost down to $4.99. The canned tomatoes for the two dishes were in the dented bin, so I got the big can for 79 cents. Frozen spinach was part of Kroger’s 10 for $10 sale, so I got two pounds for $2. Same with cucumbers. Pre-sliced portobello mushrooms were on sale for $2.50 and peppers for $1.29.
Oh yes, and I got a loaf of 100 percent whole wheat bread for $2 and generic egg beaters for $1.50 per pack, with each pack equal to six eggs. Those are in the freezer because I have real eggs in the refrigerator.
My total cost for all that food? $45.45. In addition to being fairly healthy, it was pretty inexpensive when you figure I’ll get at least three weeks of good meals out of all that food, possibly more. Some of it, like the eggs and spinach, are just good staples I can keep on hand for future meals. That should mean savings continue down the line. And I already have some food at home (like bulk oatmeal for breakfast) that will take up some meals.
If I can continue this trend, that will cut my grocery budget in half for the rest of this year, plus improve my health because the food is better for me. Sounds like a win-win situation!
I need to do a better job on this also. I’ve started packing breakfast and lunch on Sunday, and doing make ahead meals and steamed veggies. Still, I hit double what you paid at the grocery store yesterday. True, I got some staples (oatmeal, pasta) that will last a long time, and a container for the expensive fresh basil plant. My problem is that, in converting to a mostly-vegetarian diet, I’m spending a lot of money on fresh veggies.
My CSA (community-supported-agriculture) share should start coming in about a month. I’ve prepaid for 22 weeks of delivery of “whatever-ripened-this-week” and hope to see a corresponding decrease in my grocery bill. Not to mention, I’ll be learning new recipes since I’ll be eating what was delivered and not just what looked interesting at Wegman’s.